1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to a wrap-around enclosure or booth as a "designated smoking area" within public or private facilities or outdoors suitable for one or more smokers that isolates, contains, vents and/or filters tobacco smoke. This invention makes it possible for smokers to enjoy a cigarette, cigar, or pipe in public or private buildings or out-of-doors without contaminating the air for non-smokers in the vicinity. This invention also relates to a modular office system and method, whereby one or more office or workshop areas are defined by an assembly of walls, couplers and fan/filtration stations. Ambient air containing tobacco smoke or other pollutants is drawn through duct-like walls, filtered, and returned to the office areas, thus allowing smokers to work in the vicinity of non-smokers without tobacco smoke irritations.
There are four major issues concerning tobacco smoke or smoking: health, productivity, social conflict, and legal compliance/liability. The health effects of primary and secondary smoke include allergies, asthma, emphysema, and increased incidence of lung cancer. There is growing evidence that non-smokers have shown decreased general health in the presence of secondary smoke. Productivity is reduced for smoking employees by at least the amount of time spent smoking and traveling to and from permitted smoking areas. In facilities that have been declared totally non-smoking, the time required to travel from the work location to the outside and back again can be significant. Encounters between smokers and non-smokers are becoming more confrontational and divisive. Local ordinances prohibiting smoking in public buildings, except in designated smoking areas, create a legal obligation for facility owners and managers. Liability arising from smoke related illnesses, or perceived civil rights violations could result in potentially disastrous financial consequences.
Modifications to existing public buildings and facilities, or out-of-doors, to create designated smoking areas that effectively contain and filter tobacco smoke for large numbers of people are difficult and expensive. In all known facilities, such designated smoking areas segregate the population physically into rooms containing either smokers or nonsmokers and do not allow the two groups to commingle in a common area.
Thus, the need exists to provide an isolated smoker's booth or kiosk, which is inexpensive and useful in high traffic areas.
The need also exists for a means and method of integrating smoke evacuation and filtration systems into the office or workshop workplace, thereby permitting smokers to work in the immediate vicinity of non-smokers without undue isolation of either.
2. Background Art
Various types of booths, enclosures, and tobacco smoke containment and/or filtering devices are already known. Each varies significantly from the present invention.
Canadian Patent No. 968,113, to Anon, entitled Telephone Booth, is intended for use solely as a telephone booth and not as a smoker's booth. It does not contain an ashtray, venting, or air filtration system. The size of the enclosure appears incapable of containing the volume of tobacco smoke that is usually produced by a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. The sides of the booth are perforated to allow the air within the booth to exchange freely with the air outside the booth. Thus, this device would not satisfy the obvious requirements of an isolated smoke containment booth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,507, to Doublet, entitled Isolation Hut, teaches a temporary booth made principally of cardboard and useful as a polling booth, not as a smoker's booth. The device contains no air handling, venting, or filtration equipment. Its flammable construction material, lack of an ashtray or fireproof container and non-durable design make it inappropriate as a smoker's booth. Further, its use of floor space makes it unsuitable for high pedestrian traffic areas like the hallways of large public buildings or airport concourses.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,768, to Fulton, entitled Booth with a Rotatable Door and Seat, discloses a booth suitable as a telephone booth and not for isolating tobacco smoke. The device does not contain an air movement, venting, or filtration system or an ashtray. When closed, it would trap tobacco smoke created by a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, but would not remove this smoke from the air or prevent it from escaping when the door was opened.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,898, to Le Cacheux, et al., entitled Sales Boutique, Especially a Newspaper Kiosk, is designed to be located outdoors and serve as a facility that exhibits and sells small items such as newspapers or magazines, not to isolate or contain smoke. It does not contain air handling, venting, or filtering equipment or ashtrays for smokers.
French Patent No. 74 03884, to More, entitled Habitacle de cafe, discloses an enclosed circular seating area, a round centrally located table, ceiling lighting, and a floor heating duct. It is designed to be placed outside a cafe to offer shelter in all weather to customers, and not as a smoker's enclosure. This invention does not contain air handling, venting, or filtration equipment to clean and remove smoke generated within the enclosure. The size and design of the enclosure would not make it appropriate for use as a smoker's booth. It is not suited to the requirements of public facilities that must handle potentially large numbers of smokers within existing floor space and traffic flow requirements.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,367, to Paulson, entitled Smoke-Free Work Area, is shaped like an umbrella covered patio table or a work desk with a hood. These devices are most appropriate for offices or restaurants that have limited traffic flow and sufficient floor space to permit their use by smokers who will remain in the area for an extended period of time. The smokers must be seated and face toward the center of the table for the smoke to be captured by the air handling system. This invention and its embodiments would not be appropriate for high traffic areas, such as hallways or airport concourses. The Paulson device relies on a relatively calm air environment to effectively contain the smoke within the filtering volume of its air handling system. It is not suited to the requirements of public facilities that must handle potentially large numbers of smokers within existing floor space and traffic flow requirements. It does not automatically turn on and off when the smoker approaches.
Japanese Patent No. JA 0112951, to Tsujimura, entitled Illuminator, discloses a hood suspended above a table containing a cooking burner or ashtray to capture the smoke that rises in the heat of the light and vent it through the ceiling. A smoker has to remain seated at the table and face inward for the tobacco smoke to be contained by the rising air and overhead hood. This invention is most appropriate for a restaurant or other location where there is floor space suitable for tables and chairs. Modifications to the existing facility must be made to remove the smoke that is exhausted above the ceiling. The illuminator must remain on at all times for this invention to work properly because the heat generated by the incandescent bulb is required to create the updraft that moves smoke into the hood. This device does not have the air containment, movement, venting, and filtration capacity required for an isolated smoker's booth.
Japanese Patent No. JA 0118049, to Ehama, entitled Hood Device for Smoking, contains a fan and single paper filter element mounted above a chair. The device is not automatically activated when a smoker enters the area or sits in the chair. The application of this invention is limited to those locations (office and possibly restaurant) that can fix the position of a chair so that the shield screen and down-draft air curtain can be lowered to collect the tobacco smoke. The smoker must remain seated or standing under the hood for the smoke to be contained by this system. The air curtain of this invention will not effectively contain smoke in the turbulent air conditions created in high traffic areas. This invention also requires modifications to the ceiling of the facility to support the hood device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,633, to Martin, entitled Ventilated Core Unit for Service Connections, U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,445, to Ott, entitled Heated and Ventilated Work Station and U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,832, to Mark, entitled Multiple Section Work Station, describe multiple work stations with circulating air from a central core or node. These devices do not circulate air through the partitions or walls of the workstations nor do they draw or exhaust air through furniture attached to the workstation.
Devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,727, to Doss, entitled Data Station with Wire and Air Duct; U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,966, to Nussbaum, entitled Personalized Air Conditioning; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,309, to Walters, entitled Heating and Air Conditioning System Incorporating Contaminant Control are fixed location systems that are the air conditioning and ventilating system for a building. They do not disclose a portable modular system that runs independently of the main building air conditioning or ventilating unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,915, to Bussard, entitled Modular Work Station, discloses a cluster type work station with a "weather station" for circulating filtered air through the walls and out vents to the work area. A vented hood and vented base above the top and bottom of each wall unit, respectively, is not disclosed. Additionally, circulating air through customized furniture to draw contaminated air and exhaust filtered air in closer proximity to a worker is not shown.